Carlos Carvalhal says his Swansea City side will be welcoming back “one of the best attacking players in the Premier League” when Jordan Ayew returns to action next weekend, but insists there is still more to come from goalscoring hero Tammy Abraham.

Ayew served the last of a three-match ban during Saturday’s lacklustre 1-1 draw with bottom-of-the-table West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns, in a game that saw the Swans salvage a point with their only shot on target.

Since being dismissed in the 0-0 draw at Huddersfield Town, the Ghanaian’s absence has coincided with a run of one goal in over 340 minutes of Premier League football, meaning his return will likely be hotly anticipated ahead of what is now a crucial relegation run-in, with the Swans still seemingly refusing to abandon their flirtation with the Premier League’s trapdoor.

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“Losing a player like this does make a massive difference. The three games without him, of course, we’ve missed him.

“He’s hungry to play. He’s training very well, training at a very good level in these last four weeks. He’s completely ready to play.”

Ayew’s return to the fold will inevitably lead to questions over who will get the nod to lead the line next weekend.

(Image: PA)

Carvalhal has shown a preference towards playing just one up front and, given the lavish amount of praise, it initially looks like Ayew is destined to be named ahead of Abraham, despite the latter digging out his side with a well-taken goal at the Hawthorns.

However, Carvalhal insists that while he is likely to stick with playing one striker, both players could well line up against Sam Allardyce’s Toffees.

“Jordan can play on the left side also so it’s not related to Tammy so they can both play or we can decide to go differently,” he explained.

“Tammy must progress, but you must understand that a player who is 20-years-old is not completley ready so there will be things he must improve, especially when a team is fighting to survive.

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“We believe in Tammy. We had the market open in January to maybe bring a striker, but we said no. We believe in Tammy, and think he can progress. He’s doing well.”

A return to the Liberty is likely to come as some relief to Swansea, who haven’t won on the road since Carvalhal’s first game in charge, but have proved a different animal at home, producing a run of form that could well prove pivotal in their battle for survival.

“At home we play different”, Carvalhal admitted. “Our supporters give a lot of energy to the team and give a lot of energy to play in the Liberty.

“We have four games at home and two away and we must make sure that at home we pick up the maximum points we can achieve. We are not far away from staying in the division.”